presents

adapted for the stage by Jon Kleinfrom the book by Deborah and James Howe

lyrics by Jon Klein music by Chris Jeffries

Set Design Costume Design Lighting DesignDonna Marquet Angela Balogh Calin Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz

Musical Director Production Manager Stage ManagerTim Horrigan David Leavenworth Jamie A. Tucker*

directed by Stefan Novinski

Originally commissioned by Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle, WA. Produced by special arrangement with Plays for Young Audiences A Partnership of Seattle Children’s Theatre and Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis

Julianne Argyros Stage • November 4-20, 2005

Theatre for Young Audiences

Bunnicula

The Theatre for Young Audiences season has been made possible in part by generous grants from

The Nicholas Endowment and The Segerstrom Foundation

The CastBunnicula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MAURI BERNSTEIN*Chester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DIANA BURBANO*Harold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LOUIS LOTORTO*Toby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ROBERT NEGRON*Mrs. Monroe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JENNIFER PARSONS*Mr. Monroe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TOM SHELTON*Pete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TRAVIS VADEN** denotes members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers

Song ListACT I“Pet in the House” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harold and Chester“Room for All” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harold, Chester and the Monroes “Vampire Theory” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harold and Chester

ACT II“Poor Cat” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harold, Chester and the Monroes“Only Friend” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harold and Chester“Pet in the House” (reprise) . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harold, Chester and the Monroes

For Your InformationEveryone must have a ticket. No babes in arms allowed.

Latecomers will be asked to watch the lobby monitor until an appropriate time that they can be taken into the theatre and seated at the discretion of the House

Manager. They may then take their assigned seats at intermission. Special seating arrangements can be made for Disabled Patrons in advance by calling

South Coast Repertory’s Ticket Services Department at 714-708-5555.As a courtesy to all patrons, please turn off all Cellular Phones, Pagers and Watch Alarms

or switch them to non-audible before the performance begins.If Doctors or Parents expect calls during a performance,

please leave your name and seat number with the House Manager, who can be reached at 714-708-5500, ext. 5442.

Media PartnerOC Family Magazine 4444

DAVID EMMES MARTIN BENSON PAULA TOMEIProducing Artistic Director Artistic Director Managing Director

JOHN GLORE NICKI GENOVESEAssociate Artistic Director General Manager

MARCIA LAZER JEFF GIFFORD MELAINE BENNETTMarketing & Communications Director Production Manager Development Director

Nina Evans*/Erin Nelson* ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERSRyan Neely STAGE MANAGEMENT INTERN

Jen Goldstein ASSISTANT TO THE LIGHTING DESIGNERJeff Brewer LIGHTING BOARD OPERATOR

Chris Deckner SOUND BOARD OPERATORStacey Nezda DRESSER

Jenny Butler FOLLOW SPOT OPERATOR

THESE FOLKS BUILT THE SCENERY

Jon Lagerquist, Technical DirectorJohn Gaddis IV, Assistant Technical Director

Jeremy Lazzara, Master CarpenterJesus Soto, Scenic Carpenter

Amanda Horak, Scenic CarpenterJudy Allen, Lead Scenic Artist

Tabatha Daly, Gabriel Barrera, Scenic Artists

THESE PEOPLE CREATED THE PROPS

John Slauson, Property Shop ManagerByron Bacon, Assistant Property Shop Manager/Buyer

Jeffery G. Rockey, Properties ArtisanSara Greenhouse, Properties Artisan

THE FOLLOWING MADE THE COSTUMES

Amy L. Hutto, Costume Shop ManagerLaurie Donati, Full Charge CostumerMerilee Ford, Costume Design AssistantMK Steeves, Wig MasterKelly Meurer, Wig Maintenance TechnicianLisa Kovarik, Wardrobe SupervisorBronwen Burton, Catherine Esera, Patte MoonStacey Nezda, Peggy Oquist, Additional Costume Staff

THIS GROUP DEALS WITH LIGHTS & SOUND

Keith Friedlander, Master ElectricianJeff Brewer, Argryos Stage ElectricianB.C. Keller, Audio EngineerJeff Deckner, Audio Technician

Linda Sullivan Baity THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES COORDINATORAND PRODUCTION DRAMATURG

Joanne DeNaut CASTING DIRECTOR

FOLINO THEATRE CENTER • SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 • 714-708-5555 www.scr.org

TTTThhhheeeesssseeee ffffoooollllkkkkssss aaaarrrreeee hhhheeeellllppppiiiinnnngggg rrrruuuunnnn tttthhhheeee sssshhhhoooowwww bbbbaaaacccckkkk ssssttttaaaaggggeeee !!!!

AAAAnnnndddd tttthhhheeeesssseeee ffffoooollllkkkkssss hhhheeeellllppppeeeedddd ggggeeeetttt iiiitttt rrrreeeeaaaaddddyyyy ffffoooorrrr yyyyoooouuuu!!!!

5555SPECIAL THANKS TO

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BUSINESS FORMS PROGRAM PRINTER

Sneaking a Peek at theCostumes

ngela Balogh Calin has always loved drawing and going tothe theatre. So it was only natural that she would decide ata very early age to become a costume designer. Her par-ents took her to see lots of plays when she was a little girl,

and they encouraged her to attend a fine arts school in her home-land of Romania and to continue studying costume and scene de-sign in college. The job of the costume designer is to turn thewords of a play into a series of visual images by creating a draw-ing, or rendering, of each design. After being approved by thedirector, the renderings go to the costume shop, where they areused as resources by the skilled workers who make the costumesactors wear onstage.

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The Monroes (below) are dressed uniformly to reflect thenotion that animals rely on scent rather than sight to tell peopleapart. “In the eyes of our pets,” Angela says, “we all look alike,so that’s why the human family’s costumes are very much alike instyle and color.”

Because Harold (facing page, right) likes to think of him-self as a watch dog, Angela designed his costume with a militaryflair, including a Russian soldier’s cap complete with floppy earflaps, and what else—dog tags!

Harold’s best friend, Chester, (facing page, left) is a realhip cat. Angela wants Chester to look eccentric, fastidious, andoh-so-chic from the top of her pigtailed head to the tip of herplatform high heels.

Notice anything unusual about these animal costumes?Check the Answer on page 17 to find out what’s missing andwhy.

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Transylvania True or Falsehe very first appearance in world literature of the CountDracula character was in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula.The scary tale is set in Transylvania, a region located insidethe Carpathian mountain range in the eastern European

country of Romania. Because of Stoker’s book, Count Dracula is in-stantly recognizable and Transylvania will forever be known as aland of superstition and horror. But sometimes it’s hard to separatefact from fiction when it comes to the world’s most famous vampire.Can you figure out which of the following statements are true?

1. The idea for Dracula came to Bram Stoker in a nightmare.

2. Vampires have existed in folk legends for centuries, back to ancient times.

3. Immediately after its publication, Bram Stoker’s Dracula was a huge success.

4. Stoker had originally planned to call his hero “Count Wampyr.”

5. The word “Transylvania” means literally “the land beyond the forest.”

6. Stoker traveled to Transylvania to do research on vampires.

7. “Nosferatu” is the Romanian word for “vampire.”

8. The “real” Count Dracula (who was neither a count nor a vampire) is regarded as a folk hero by native Romanians.

9. In eastern Europe, the vampire is said to have two souls and two hearts; since one heart or soul never dies, the vampire remains undead.

10. Vampire bats are common in the Carpathian Mountains.

11. “Drac” is the Romanian word for “devil.”

12. In the book, Count Dracula is destroyed by having a stake driven through his heart

Answers on page 17

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THe’s the real thingBRAM STOKER’S COUNT DRACULA:

• has the strength of twenty men.• survives on the blood of others.• can shape-shift into the form of a wolf or a bat.• has no reflection in a mirror.• casts no shadow.• must sleep in the soil of his native land.• is repelled by garlic and religious items (crucifix, holy water).

Dracula Goes to the Moviesn 1922, silent film director F. W. Murnau made a horror filmcalled Nosferatu the Vampire, starring Max Schreck as one ofthe most hideous moviemonsters ever created.

Nosferatu: A Symphony ofHorror was remade in 1979by director Werner Herzogin a film starring Klaus Kin-ski. In 1931, another Drac-ula was released, this onedirected by Tod Browningand introducing Bela Lugosito the world. Lugosireigned supreme until 1958,when Christopher Leestarred in Terence Fisher’sHorror of Dracula—a filmwidely considered to be themost faithful cinematicadaptation of Stoker’s novel.Francis Ford Coppola producedand directed a 1992 version enti-tled Bram Stoker’s Dracula, with GaryOldman in the title role.

Transylvania’sCoat of Arms

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I was born inColombia,moved toCleveland, Ohio

when I was 3 and learnedEnglish by watching“Sesame Street.” I startedout acting in San JoseChildren’s Musical Theater.We would do big musicals,like Brigadoon and Guysand Dolls, and all the partswere played by kids. Lastyear I played Miss Pickles in

The Hoboken Chicken Emergency here at SCR.I have played a lot of animals in my career.I’ve been a flamenco dancing cow, a singingchipmunk, just recently I was a corporatehamster in a commercial, and now I am playinga cat. I hope I don’t have fleas!

I am very happy to return to SCR forthis, my 4th Theatre for Young Audi-

ences production and my 3rd play under Stefan Novinski’s direction. He justfinished directing me in a play called Indoor/Outdoor where I played a Cat,so it’s only fitting I play ‘man’s best friend’ in this play.You might remember seeing me on this stage as theSwindler in The Emperor’s New Clothes, Louis in SidewaysStories from Wayside School, or as the Fox in The LittlePrince. Other roles from the Animal Kingdom include achipmunk in Winnie-the-Pooh (my very first acting job atthe age of 9), the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, ahorse in Equus, a duck in the upcoming Stinky CheeseMan, and another more famous dog, Snoopy in You’re AGood Man, Charlie Brown. I’ve also had the good for-tune to have played many interesting humans and everymajor sprite from the plays of William Shakespeare alongthe way. I dedicate this performance to my father who took me to my firstplay so many years ago.

DDiiaannaa BBuurrbbaannooCChheesstteerr

LLoouuiiss LLoottoorrttooHHaarroolldd

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I’ve almost al-ways had atleast one petaround the

house. Now I have two wonderful dogs. When I wasa kid I had a cat, a dog, a fish, a parakeet, and yes,even a bunny rabbit. As an adult puppeteer for filmand television, I have played a dog, a cat, two eagles,a slug, a manatee, two bears, and a dinosaur. You cantry to find me hiding under Salem the cat on “Sabrinathe Teenage Witch.” This fall you’ll see me with a puppet on “The Adven-tures of Piggley Winks.” Bunnicula is my theatrical debut as a rabbit!

MMaauurrii BBeerrnnsstteeiinnBBuunnnniiccuullaa

WWWWhhhhoooo’’’’ssss WWWWhhhhoooo iiiinnnn tttthhhheeee CCCCaaaasssstttt

I’m theyoungest oftwo brothers

in real life, so playing Toby is a lot of fun.My big brother and I even had a rabbit grow-ing up named Patches (he wasn’t a vampirebut he sure liked to bitea lot). The last show Idid at SCR was Bird-man! where I played apilot. That was fun be-cause I got to performit at a different schoolevery day. Even aftercollege a young actornever stops going toschool! Right now Istudy as an Academy Company Member atAnteaus (classical theatre company in L.A.).

RRoobbeerrtt NNeeggrroonnTToobbyy

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The lasttime I ap-peared atSCR was

as Mrs. Cratchit, the mom, in A Christmas Carol. Al-though I play moms a lot now, I used to play thekids. When I was about 8, my mom, impressed bymy imitations of Captain Kirk from “Star Trek,” sug-gested I take acting classes at a place called JuniorTheatre in San Diego. I got to do lots of plays thereand, later on, when I was in high school I got to dosome plays at The Old Globe theatre. Since thenI’ve done lots of plays in all sortsof different places and even gotto be in a Broadway musicalcalled Quilters. I’ve been inmovies like Never Been Kissedand Dragonfly and, most recent-ly, television shows like “JudgingAmy,” “JAG” and “The OC.”

JJeennnniiffeerr PPaarrssoonnssMMrrss.. MMoonnrrooee

Behind the ScenesPlaywright JON KLEIN wrote his first play in the 4th grade, even thoughhe had never even seen a live stage performance. It was about all thepeople who went to a silly auction, and he performed it for every class inhis school. That was scary, but fun. The scary part was being an actor,but the fun part was writing a play. So Jon has been writing plays eversince. He also wrote songs for his high school rock band “The Advan-sirs,” which is why he enjoyed the opportunity to write lyrics for Chris Jef-fries’ wonderful music in Bunnicula. Jon has written many other kinds ofplays, which have been produced all over the country, but he especiallyloves to write for young people. He adapted two books from “The HardyBoys” series, where the boy detectives solved mysteries about ghosts andhidden treasure. And he is working on a new play for Seattle Children’sTheatre, where Bunnicula began. Most of all, Jon is very happy thatJames Howe allowed him to do a stage version of his wonderful bookabout a vampire bunny. If you like the play, please read the book!

Director STEFAN NOVINSKI began directing in kindergarten with a pup-pet show of Jack and the Beanstalk. Recent theatre credits includeMedea for the Theatre at Boston Court, Wilder’s Skin of Our Teeth at theEvidence Room and Sideways Stories from Wayside School and The Hobo-ken Chicken Emergency at SCR. His productions have earned critical no-tice and theatre awards. Before moving to L.A. he was the associate pro-ducer of the Big D Festival of the Unexpected at the Dallas Theater Cen-ter.

Set Designer DONNA MARQUET has designed all of SCR’s Theatre forYoung Audiences productions. She loves to design, draw, paint and es-pecially likes to work on shows that are as much fun as Bunnicula. Herbackground includes college in Ohio and a master’s degree in California,and she feels “education is the most important gift you can give yourself.”

Romanian-born Costume Designer ANGELA BALOGH CALIN has de-signed almost all of SCR’s Theatre for Young Audiences productions. Shealso designed the costumes and set for SCR’s recent production of DumbShow. For several years she has designed SCR’s touring productions, in-cluding last year’s Birdman. Angela is happy to work on this play be-cause of Tess, her dog (a wolf hybrid: half dog, half wolf) who is one ofher best friends for the last 12 years.

111133I was Amos and Father Tree inPinocchio, the Mayor in TheHoboken Chicken Emergency,and Mr. Toad in The Wind In

The Willows. Many seasons ago I played Mr.Topper here at SCR in A Christmas Carol. Mymany favorite moments onstage include doing asoft shoe in a sleeping bag (in SCR’s touringshow The Right Self); singing an aria to themoon from the prow of a ship (as Captain Cor-coran in HMS Pinafore); and, in Travels With MyAunt at Laguna Playhouse, playing 13 differentpeople of all colors, nationalities and genders,wearing a three-piece suit and a bowler hat allthe while. I love being an actor because it helps

make you smart, quick on your feet, and a citizen of the wholeworld—both real and imagined.

I grew up in west Texas withtwo brothers, one sister and adog namedFluffy. I’ve

been in eight shows here at South Coast Reper-tory. You might have seen me at your school inThe Pride of Weedpatch Camp or Birdman! I’llbe playing young Scrooge in A Christmas Carolthis year, and I’m making a TV show, with my

brother, called “PizzaTime.”

TToomm SShheellttoonnMMrr.. MMoonnrrooee

TTrraavviiss VVaaddeennPPeettee

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Musical Director TIM HORRIGAN beat on his little wooden chair withLincoln Logs at the age of two and has been making music ever since!He has written music for movies and musicals, as well as musical direc-tion of Pinocchio, The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Hoboken ChickenEmergency here at SCR. “Working with a talented cast and crew in cre-ating on stage a world that didn’t exist before is just about the most funyou can have,” says Tim. And, if you live in the Northwood section ofIrvine, you just might have him as your English teacher at NorthwoodHigh School when you get older. In the meantime Tim says, “Keep tak-ing those piano lessons!”

Lighting Designer LONNIE RAFAEL ALCARAZ grew up in OrangeCounty and first started in theatre at Estancia High School. He wasinspired greatly by his drama teacher, Barbara Van Holt. He went on tostudy theatre at Orange Coast College and he received his BA and MFAfrom UC Irvine. He has designed many productions at SCR, includingeleven years of La Posada Mágica. Other credits include six seasons atthe Utah Shakespearean Festival. He also designed shows, attractionsand architecture for Universal Studios Japan and lived in Japan for twoyears. He is a member of USA Local 829 and a Professor of Lighting atUC Irvine.

Stage Manager JAMIE A. TUCKER* is excited to be working on Bun-nicula. This is his first time working with a vampire bunny. He came toCalifornia from South Carolina to go to school at University of California,Irvine. He has worked at South Coast Repertory for 6 years. His fa-vorite things to do are ride his bike really fast and eat a lot of veggies.

Assistant Stage Manager NINA K. EVANS* grew up in Los Angeles andis very excited to be working on SCR’s production of Bunnicula. Ninastudied theatre at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where she alsoserved as Company Manager of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Be-fore she became a theatre professional, Nina was a Junior Olympian fig-ure skater!

Assistant Stage Manager ERIN NELSON* grew up in Virginia, acting inmusicals and commercials. She soon realized that backstage was theplace to be, and has been a professional stage manager for more than sixyears, working in places around the country like La Jolla, California andBoise, Idaho. She even got a Masters Degree in Stage Management fromUC San Diego. She loved the Bunnicula books so much as a child thatshe once dressed up as a Minion Celery Stalk for Halloween.

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Vegetable Match-UpsWhat do these vegetables have in common?

1. Arugula 4. Celery 7. Garlic 10. Parsnips2. Bok Choy 5. Cucumbers 8. Lettuce 11. Tomato3. Carrots 6. Endive 9. Onions 12. Zucchini

Give up? They are all mentioned in Bunnicula, (and some ofthem even figure into the plot). Although you’ve probably heardof—and maybe even eaten—most of them, some you may notrecognize. Try matching each vegetable with its correct descrip-tion below.

A. These contain more sugar than any other vegetable, except beets.

B. Also called “rocket,” this is a leafy relative of cabbage and broccoli.

C. Serve it steamed, fried, sautéed, grilled, stuffed or baked into bread or muffins.

D. Its Chinese name means literally “white vegetable”—howappropriate!

E. Every part of this is edible—leaves, roots, stems andseeds.

F. The botanical name of this juicy fruit means literally“wolf-peach.”

G. These are loved by pigs, horses, and cattle (as well assome people).

H. California is the leading U.S. producer of this popular favorite.

I. Better have a hankie handy when cutting into thesesmelly things.

J. These were first brought to America by Columbus, who was “cool as a …”

K. Other names for this prickly leaf are chicory, escarole, and witloof.

L. Gilroy, CA is the Capital of the World as far as lovers of this are concerned.

11115555

Answers on page 17

Across2. pear, pare6. threw8. to, two9. stairs11. four, fore12. fair13. bear16. heal17. cent, sent

Down 1. hi3. blew4. meat5. clothes6. their, they’re7. hare10. see13. buy, bye14. write15. new

Answers on page 17

Homonym Crosswordn the play, Harold gets confused when Chester insists that theway to rid themselves of the vampire bunny is to drive some-thing through his heart. Chester says the word “stake” butHarold hears the word “steak” because they sound exactly the

same. “Stake” (which is a pointed piece of wood) and “steak”(which is a tasty piece of meat) are homonyms.

Use homonyms for the clues listed below to complete thecrossword puzzle

111166

IThey Are What They Eat

n the play, Harold and Chester eat lots of things that can beextremely toxic to pets in real life. While the Monroe familyanimals stay happy and healthy on their unusual diets, yourown dogs and cats could get very sick from eating the way

they do. So play it safe and never share these “people foods”with your favorite furry friends:

AnswersSneaking a Peek: Missing from Harold and Chester’s costumesare obvious dog and cat features such as ears, whiskers and tailsbecause the story is told from their points of view and they neverthink of themselves as animals.

Transylvania True or False: 1F, 2T, 3F, 4T, 5T, 6F, 7F, 8T, 9T, 10F,11T, 12F. (For the whole truth, see the Bunnicula playgoer’sguide online at www.scr.org.)

Vegetable Match Up: 3A, 1B, 12C, 2D, 4E, 11F, 10G, 8H, 9I, 5J,6K, 7L.

Homonym Crossword: Across: 2. pair, 6. through, 8. too, 9.stares, 11. for, 12. fare, 13. bare, 16. heel, 17. scent Down: 1. high, 3. blue, 4. meet, 5. close, 6. there, 7. hair, 10.sea, 13. by, 14. right, 15. knew

Chocolate (most dangerous:cocoa and baking chocolate)

Onions and garlicMacadamia nutsPotato peelings and green

(raw) potatoesRaw bread doughCoffee grounds and tea leavesTomatoes Citrus fruitsRaisins and grapes

BroccoliAvocadoSeeds from pears or apples,

pits from peaches, plums, orapricots

Bacon, ham or other fatty, cured meats

Milk and milk productsOrgan meats (dogs) and

tuna (cats)Source: www.paw-rescue.org

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More Fun is Coming...

Thanks for joining us today for this furry friend musical mystery. We’vehad a great time bringing Bunnicula to the stage, and are looking for-ward to our next productions—The Adventures of Pør Quinly and The

Stinky Cheese Man. Remember, today is just the beginning of the fun forkids and their families this season. Here’s what’s coming up:

The Adventures of Por QuinlyThis is a very funny musical about a little boy who hatesbirthdays, especially his. He doesn’t want a party, andhe’s really upset that he has to go to the store for hismom to buy his own birthday cake! What would youdo if that happened? Pør Quinly decides to take a trip,but not just any trip. He’s on his way to Washingtub to be-come president! Armed with a lucky sword and assisted by awise butterfly named Gilly Gallo, Pør Quinly hits the campaign trail. Go

along with him on this fun-filled adventure.

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

I bet all of you have read Jon Scieszka’s book,The Stinky Cheese Man. Remember how the ordinary

fairy tale characters did crazy, funny things? Like theGiant in Jack and the Beanstalk telling his tale back-wards and Rumpelstiltskin turning up in Cinderel-

la’s story? Now The Stinky Cheese Man will be fun-nier than ever because all the characters are going

berserk right on the stage, live, in front of your eyes.You’ll have so much fun with these cockeyed fairy tales

that you’ll never want them to end!

Subscriptions are still available for the next two shows, and we’d love foryou to join us, so stop by the Box Office. The friendly people there willtell you how to subscribe, or you can call them at (714) 708-5555.

Target Family Performances, Saturdays at 11AM:• Bunnicula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 12, 2005• Pør Quinly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 18, 2006• Stinky Cheese Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . June 17, 2006

New curtain time and lower ticket price thanks to Target, title sponsor of the Target Family Performances.

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